Coriander

Progress pictures. Fabulous isn't it? I sewed the coriander seeds on the 28th May. The day I started this blog. The picture on the left is from a week ago, the picture on the right is from a few seconds ago. As I mentioned earlier the seed packet said to put them all in densely to encourage competitive growth. It's grown alright. I've got to admit, when I first threw in the seeds I was quite surprised that they looked like coriander seeds. You know, like the ones you can get from the supermarket. Possibly shouldn't have been that shocked.

The first time I ever food shopped for myself I bought ground coriander. The ground stuff, the seeds and the leaves are a necessary part of my store cupboard. I've heard that you can't store the leaves, that they wilt almost immediately and can't be dried or frozen. Well I freeze them all the time without a problem. I just take the bunch and start chopping. Leaves, stems and all. Chopity, chop, chop. Then off the go to freezerland. I pull them out when required and they will defrost to the touch.

But while I still have fresh coriander floating around I often toss it together with some finely chopped chili, tomato and onion. Squeeze a bit of lime on the top and my Dad has some fresh salsa. It's too tart for me to eat and the day after it's almost too hot for my dad. I prefer my coriander in curries, on (vegetarian) keema, or baked onto bread.